August 27, 2002
Pedestrian Killed Leaving Film Festival
<bt>Detectives from the Collision Reconstruction Section of the Montgomery County Police continue to investigate a fatal pedestrian collision that occurred Friday evening, Aug. 23, in Rockville.
At approximately 9:30 p.m., officers and rescue units were called to the intersection of Route 355 and Strathmore Avenue for the report of a pedestrian struck by a car.
The preliminary investigation has revealed that a 25-year-old Seema Ramrop, of the 9900 block of Shelburne Terrace in Gaithersburg, was crossing the northbound lanes of Route 355, near the area of the crosswalk, just north of Strathmore Avenue.
As she crossed the road, she was struck by a Toyota Camry. The male driver of the Camry, whose name has not yet been released by investigators, remained on the scene of the collision.
Ramrop was taken to Suburban Hospital where she died a short time later.
<sh>Residential Burglaries
<bt>9700 block of Pleasant Gate Lane in Potomac. On Aug. 15, between 2:15 and 3:45 p.m., jewelry and stereo equipment were taken.
14200 block of Cervantes Ave. Between 6 p.m. on Aug. 17 and 10 a.m. on Aug. 18, someone entered the garage and took boogie boards and juice.
<sh>Sobriety Checkpoint Results
<bt>The Alcohol Enforcement of the Montgomery County Police Department held a Sobriety Checkpoint on Saturday, Aug. 24, between the hours of 11 p.m. and 2:30 a.m., at the intersection of First Street and Rockville Pike in Rockville.
The results are:
827 vehicles through the checkpoint
8 DUI arrests (three arrests through the checkpoint, five turn arounds avoiding checkpoint).
2 CDC arrests (possession of marijuana).
<sh>Citizens of the Year
<bt>The Potomac Chamber of Commerce encourages nominations for the Potomac citizen, youth and businessperson of the year. The awards are given annually by the Potomac Chamber and the winners will be featured in the annual Potomac Day Parade on Sunday, Oct. 26. Award plaques will be presented to the winners at the chamber's Awards Banquet on Nov. 16, at TPC at Avenel.
* The Potomac Citizen of the Year can be a private individual or organization in Potomac that has benefited the local, regional or national community.
* The Potomac Youth of the Year must reside in or attend high school in Potomac and must have exhibited scholastic, leadership and community service attributes. Youth must be nominated by their school principals or counselors.
* The Potomac Businessperson of the Year and his or her company must work or do business in Potomac, be a member of the Potomac Chamber of Commerce and must have benefited the community.
The Potomac Chamber Board of Directors will vote on the nominees in early October.
The deadline for entries is Sept. 27. Nomination forms and guidelines may be obtained from Fred Goldman at 301-294-0007. Entries should be mailed to: Potomac Chamber of Commerce, Inc., 9812 Falls Road, Suite 114, Box 320, Potomac, Md. 20854.
<sh>Voter Deadline Nears
<lst>The voter registration deadline is 9 p.m. Oct. 15, 2002, for the Nov. 5 general election.
Voter registration applications are available from the Elections Office, 751 Twinbrook Parkway, Rockville. Call 240-777-8500 and leave a message at the 24-hour voter information line at 240-777-VOTE.
Forms are also available at all Montgomery County public libraries, Montgomery College, public high schools, U.S. post offices and county government regional service centers.
The form can be printed from the state elections Website at www.elections.state.md.us and mailed back.
<sh>800 Election Judges Needed
<bt>Montgomery County's Board of Elections needs 800 election judges at polling places on Primary Election Day, Sept. 10, and General Election Day, November 5. Judges must be registered to vote in Montgomery County. They must be able to speak, read and write the English language, and must not hold office or be a candidate for a public or party office.
There is a special need for bilingual judges. In addition, alternates are needed throughout the County. Training will be provided and all judges will be compensated for election day.
To apply, call the Board of Elections. Democrat election judge recruiters can be reached at 240-777-8570, Republican election judge recruiters at 240-777-8575, and non-affiliated voters can call 240-777-8527.
<sh>Accessible Voting Precincts
<bt>Registered voters with disabilities who reside in precincts where the polling place is not accessible may be assigned to an alternate polling place in a precinct that has a ballot identical to the one where the voter is registered.
Check Voter Notification Card for the accessibility status of the assigned polling place or call the Elections Office at 240-777-8500.
If a satisfactory substitute polling place is not available, or if the voter with a disability does not wish to be reassigned, voting by absentee ballot is an alternative. Applications for absentee ballots must be submitted to the Board of Elections by 5 p.m. on Sept. 3. Call Absentee Voting Department at 240-777-8550 or e-mail absentee@co.mo.md.us.
<sh>Country House Tour
<bt>The 47th annual Potomac Country House Tour, sponsored by St. Francis Episcopal Church, will feature four Potomac area homes on Saturday, Oct. 5 and Sunday, Oct. 6 from noon to 5 p.m.
Tickets are available at St. Francis' church office, 10033 River Road. Advance tickets are $15 and $20 the day of the tour. Call 301-365-2055.
Other activities will take place at the church, 10033 River Road, both days, including:
* Boutiques of St. Francis — all vendors donate a percentage of each sale to charities supported by St. Francis Episcopal Church
* Cottage Shop — crafts, clothes, toys and decorative items for the home and garden
* The Bottom Line Silent Auction.
* The Luncheon — A la carte buffet lunch will be available on both days from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in St. Francis Hall.
Proceeds from the house tour benefit over two dozen local, national and international charities and social ministries.
Call 301-365-2055.
<sh>Shuttle Bus to White Flint
<bt>While Metro builds a new parking garage at the Grosvenor-Strathmore station, Metro will provide free shuttle bus from a Mid Pike Plaza parking facility at Rockville Pike and Randolph/Montrose roads to White Flint Metro. Weekday mornings, the shuttle will leave Mid Pike Plaza at 6 a.m. and will operate every 10 minutes during rush-hour periods. In the afternoon, the first bus will depart White Flint station at 3:30 p.m. and the last bus will leave at 6:30 p.m. en route to Mid Pike Plaza.
The offsite monthly parking, which costs $45 per month, and the free shuttle Metrobuses will be available for approximately six months until the new garage at Grosvenor station is completed. Visit www.metroopensdoor.com or call 202-637-3000.
* The Red Line to Grosvenor Metro station — now Grosvenor-Strathmore — opened 18 years ago on Aug. 25, 1984 and connected Van Ness-UDC with Grosvenor, including five new stations at Tenleytown-AU, Friendship Heights, Bethesda, Medical Center and Grosvenor. On average, 30,253 customers board trains at these stations, according to Metro's ridership figures through July 31, 2002.
<sh>Civic Calendar
<cal1>September 2002
<cal2>Park and Planning is scheduled to publish the staff draft of the Blockhouse Point Master Plan. To send comments about the park master plan in writing, or to get on the mailing list to receive information about the Blockhouse Point Master Plan, address letters to: Blockhouse Point Master Plan, 1109 Spring Street, Suite 800, Silver Spring, MD 20910.
<cal1>Tuesday, Aug. 27, 7-9:30 p.m.
<cal2>Community meeting to discuss a proposed managed deer hunt at Blockhouse Point Conservation Park. The meeting is scheduled to be held in the all-purpose room of Travilah Elementary School, 13801 DuFief Mill Road, Darnestown. Call Park and Planning's Community Relations Office at 301-495-4600. For information about the Park and Planning's deer management program, visit www.mncppc.org/environment/deer, call the Park and Planning Commission's deer information hotline at 301-495-3585 or call the Park and Planning Department's wildlife ecologist at 301-949-4149.
<cal1>September 2002
<cal2>Park and Planning has tentatively scheduled a public meeting, 8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, to solicit comment and input on the staff draft of the Blockhouse Point Master Plan. Visit www.mc-mncppc.org/environment/blockhouse_mp/blockhouse_mp.htm
<cal1>Saturday, Sept. 7, 6-8 p.m.
<cal2>Fundraiser for Del. Jean Cryor (R-15), home of Bill and Diana Conway, 10600 River Road, Potomac. $100. RSVP 301-983-6124.
<cal1>Tuesday, Sept. 10
<cal2>Primary Elections will be held. Voter registration applications are available from the Elections Office, 751 Twinbrook Parkway, Rockville. Call 240-777-8500 and leave a message at the 24-hour voter information line at 240-777-VOTE.
<cal1>Thursday, Sept. 12
<cal2>Montgomery County Council resumes committee worksessions after its annual recess, which began on July 31. Regular Council worksessions begin the following Tuesday, Sept. 17.
<cal1>Thursday, Sept. 12, 7:30 p.m.
<cal2>County Council Public Hearing on Councilmember Nancy Dacek's Bill 26-02, which would prohibit pedestrians from standing in a travel lane, roadway median or intersection, or approaching a motor vehicle in a travel lane to solicit or sell anything to occupants of the vehicle. County Council Office Building, 100 Maryland Ave., Rockville. Call 240-777-7900 to testify.
<cal1>Thursday, Sept. 12, 7:30 p.m.
<cal2>Western Area Recreation Advisory Board Meeting, Potomac Community Center, 11315 Falls Road, Potomac. Call 301-983-4471.
<cal1>Tuesday, Sept. 17
<cal2>Western Montgomery County Citizens Advisory Board Meeting, Bethesda-Chevy Chase Services Center, Room A, 4805 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda.
<cal1>Tuesday, Sept. 17
<cal2>County Council Public Hearing, Zoning Text Amendment 02-21. Exemption provision — private schools on land owned or leased by a religious institution. County Council Office Building, 100 Maryland Ave., Rockville. Call 240-777-7900 to testify.
<cal1>Tuesday, Nov. 5
<cal2>General Election.
<lst>Send items for the civic calendar to Potomac Almanac managing editor Ken Moore, 10220 River Road, Suite 330, Potomac, MD 20854; call 301-983-2600; e-mail to PotomacAlmanac@hotmail.com; Fax to 703-917-0991.